Rangers have 'huge' £10m disadvantage in title race with Celtic as big wages claim makes one thing clear

A football finance expert has claimed Celtic have a £10m gap on Rangers when it comes to squad valuations.

The Old Firm rivals have huge finances in comparison to their Premiership rivals but that couldn't save both of them from defeat over the weekend. Rangers were stunned at home to Motherwell while Celtic lost 2-0 to Hearts, having been reduced to 10-men early in the first half.

It means Philippe Clement's side are still two points ahead in a tight title race that looks destined to go the distance. Speaking to Football Insider, finance expert Maguire says the current title holders have a higher squad value, and it should come with a title upper-hand.

He said: “There is an argument for Celtic to invest more if they are behind Rangers in the table. They have always operated very prudently and if we take a look at the 2022-23 season, they had over 50 percent of the total cost of all squads in the Scottish Premiership.

“Now if they can’t win the league when they have that financial advantage and they’re generating more money than their rivals then I think things are not necessarily wrong from a financial point of view. Either Celtic are underperforming or Rangers are over-performing in order for that to be the case.

“Celtic are financially ahead of Rangers and therefore that should give them an advantage because we know that in terms of wages, their wage bill is 20 percent more than Rangers. Their squad cost is also £10million more than Rangers, which is huge and a lot of money in the Scottish market.“